US ambassador to Japan ‘extremely optimistic’ about trade deal

Tokyo - The new US ambassador to Japan said on April 18 he was “extremely optimistic” that the two countries will agree on a trade deal, after Tokyo’s envoy held talks in Washington.

“I’ve met now with most of the principals who are in the room, and doing the negotiating and talking this through. And I’m extremely optimistic that a deal will get done,” Mr George Glass told reporters.

“We have two very sophisticated economies that are very successful, and they are two of the top five economies of the world,” he said at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.

“And we have the best and the brightest from Japan there doing the negotiations. We have the best and brightest from the United States.

“The Secretary of Treasury, the Secretary of Commerce are both people that I know and have spoken with and are brilliant in their fields,” Mr Glass said.

“And when I saw that President Trump then decided he was going to get involved and has now named this his top priority, that’s why I have a lot of confidence that we’ll get something done.”

Japanese companies are the biggest investors in the United States, and Japan is a vital strategic ally for Washington in the Asia-Pacific region.

But Japan has been subjected to the

same 10 per cent baseline tariffs

imposed by the Trump administration on most countries, as well as painful steeper levies on cars, steel and aluminium.

US President Donald Trump also imposed “reciprocal” tariffs on Japan of 24 per cent, although these have been paused for 90 days along with those on other countries except China.

Japan’s tariffs envoy Ryosei Akazawa met Mr Trump on April 16 and held talks with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

There was no immediate breakthrough, although the next round of negotiations is scheduled before the end of the month. AFP